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KIRKUS REVIEW

A
soldier’s annotated letters chronicle life and death in the Civil War’s western
theater.

In 1862,
Otho McManus was a 24-year-old schoolteacher when he joined the 123rd Illinois
Volunteer Infantry. Orphaned at 16, he was the oldest of five children
scattered to foster homes. He married Sallie Rupp, the pastor’s daughter in a
small congregation of families that included his foster parents. They all
became his extended family. He fought alongside two brothers, a brother-in-law
and four cousins, all of whom enlisted the same day. Everyone survived but
Otho, killed seven days before Lee’s surrender. This collection of more than
100 previously unpublished letters is notable for its volume and clarity and
for the writer’s participation in an innovative wartime strategy. Col. John T.
Wilder’s “Lightning Brigade,” which Otho joined in May 1863, used mounted
infantry—soldiers riding horses to outmarch opposing infantry but fighting on
foot, using newly invented repeating rifles to outshoot their opponents. Otho’s
erudition, even temper, and devotion to his wife, 6-year-old daughter and the
Union cause shine throughout. His attention to detail yields many delightful
surprises and in-depth information about the engagements in which he fought.
The editors, all Otho’s descendants, provide crucial context and narrative flow
between the letters, leavening the inherent challenges of storytelling through
personal correspondence—potentially tedious repetition and oblique references
that could leave readers in the dark. Their support is especially needed given
the one-sided nature of the letters; no responses to Otho survived. Their text,
from broader scene-setting to explaining minute details, is clear and
well-paced, and they are in obvious command of the material. They cite 50 books
and 13 articles in more than 350 endnotes that further illuminate the story and
should not be ignored. Some readers might desire even more background and
analysis from these knowledgeable editors, but they keep Otho’s voice squarely
in the foreground—an effective choice. Readers grow fond of Otho and his family
through letters spanning 30 months. Although the outcome is known in advance,
his death, reported to his wife by his brother-in-law/comrade in arms, evokes a
powerful, novelistic climax.

A genuine
treat for Civil War buffs and a valuable source for scholars.

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